Invitations
Invitations perfect for young Picassos (or Rembrandts or Monets!) include those featuring such images as an art smock, pallette, paints, paintbrushes, and crayons.

Decorations
The key to decorating here is to turn your party room into a blank pallette that will encourage partygoers to transform it into a work of art! Cover walls and floor with plenty of white oaktag or plain paper. To spare furniture and carpeting from an unwanted makeover, be sure to cover them well with plastic, or simply remove good furnishings from the room entirely. Place all art materials on a table within easy reach of everyone, then let the decorating begin!

Activities
To start, you’ll need enough paints, paintbrushes, fingerpaints, markers, crayons, or chalk to give everyone a chance to show their artistic talent. Also have enough smocks for each participant -- old T-shirts, oversized men’s shirts, or aprons will do the trick. Plan ahead what you’d like your little artists to create; choose a theme for a mural, such as farm animals, outer space, dinosaurs, or whatever best suits the age range of your guests. You can also paint games to play, such as tic-tac-toe and connect-the-dots. To add to the fun, assign an adult to do face painting on partygoers’ cheeks or hands.

Snacks
Colorful juices served in clear containers will complement the colorful tone of your affair. The more colorful the snack, the better! Consider serving jelly beans, Gummi candies, or Fruit Loops, as well as more healthful yet colorful snacks such as fruit salad with red and green grapes, tri-color pasta salad, and frozen yogurt with sprinkles.

Cake
A cake shaped as a pallette is easy to create with a few slices in the right places, followed by decorative frosting and perhaps a small paintbrush placed atop the frosting for the final artistic touch.

Goody Bags
Any and all small art materials are the perfect fillers for this party’s goody bag. Have the birthday child decorate small brown paper bags with his or her own artwork before filling the bags, then add a watercolor kit; rubber stamps and inkpad; a box of crayons, markers, or pastels; childproof scissors; and anything else to continue the creative fun after the party’s over.

Thank-you’s
Match your thank-you notes to your invitation, or choose a complementary design. To tie in with the party’s theme, have your child sign his or her name to each note with a marker or paint and paintbrush. Remember to mention what the gift was that you’re thanking the person for -- and how much your child appreciated it!